Darkness

"Darkness" is a single by Finnish-American rapper Lil Squeaky, featuring guest vocals from American filmmaker and rapper Beetlebat. It was released on April 15, 2022, as part of Lil Squeaky's fifth studio album Art; the song was released as a single on May 21. The song is considered a cloud rap song, and peaked at number 5 on the Flex Entertainment Hot 100.

Chart performance
"Darkness" debuted at number 21 on the Flex Entertainment Hot 100 on April 22, 2022, the second-highest debut from the Art album behind "I'm Everything," and the third-highest ranking behind "I'm Everything" and "Only One." "Darkness" would prove to be a sleeper hit as it had consistent streaming, leading Squeaky to officially release it as a single on May 21, 2022. This would cause it to leap into the top 20 at No. 18 on May 27. It would go on to peak at No. 10 on June 24. Following the release of the long-awaited music video, the song would re-enter the chart at a new peak of No. 5 on November 18. It would spend five more weeks on the chart before following out. It charted for the Hot 100 for thirty weeks. The song and "Tear Dat A$$ Up" proved to be Squeaky's most frequently streamed songs in Spring 2022.

Critical reception
"Darkness" received widespread acclaim from critics and listeners. The song was praised for its uplifting lyrical message and emotional weight, with Beetlebat's verse in particular drawing in heavy praise; Lil Mosquito Disease stated "I didn't expect Beetlebat to nearly bring me to tears, man!" upon hearing the song for the first time. The song's production was also praised, with its aesthetic being compared to that of Clams Casino.

Music video
A music video wasn't released for the single until November 13, 2022, six months after its single release. Squeaky felt like it would fit right with the fall season. The video was edited by Beetlebat, who also features on the song. It features Squeaky and Beetle performing the song in various areas inside and outside. Beetle's bath tub received attention for "how big it was." The video was praised by the Flex community as a well-shot, well-edited presentation of a "based" song.